On the Road ... Again

Willie Nelson here. Or so it seems.

2011 has, so far, been the year of travel for The Grillmaster and me. We started off the new year with a trip to see my beloved Virginia Tech Hokies in the Orange Bowl and then continued on to visit our dear friends Bernie and Karen who have a beautiful home on Long Island in the Bahamas. After a couple of weeks at home in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, we headed west to meet my stepdaughter, Katie, and visit our niece in Los Angeles. Then The Grillmaster, Katie and I went to New Zealand to visit my stepson, Alex, who was doing an internship in the Northland area (Kerikeri to be exact). We left New Zealand the same day the devastating earthquake shook Auckland. Our original plan had been to go to Auckland when we left Kerikeri to visit a friend of The Grillmaster. Fortunately, he was out of town. We flew back to LA and drove to San Diego to visit my former boss and fellow PHAT Bird (don’t ask), Joanne. That takes care of January and February. Days at home: 17. Days away: 42.

March was fairly calm except for a six-day trip to Richmond (Picasso exhibit at Virginia MFA), Baltimore (Johns Hopkins vs. UVa lacrosse) and Washington, DC for the Blossom (formerly Smithsonian) Kite Festival. The Grillmaster is the announcer for the annual kite festival that, unfortunately, was called because of snow. In April, we ventured back to DC for the rescheduled festival. Days at home: 51. Days away: 10.

May has been absolutely insane. The first week included a trip to Raleigh to meet Patricia Wells immediately followed by a trip to Virginia Beach to watch Alex play in a lacrosse tournament. The following weekend we had planned to meet Katie in Philadelphia at the Barnes art museum to see their collection before it moves to its new space in 2012. We stopped in Richmond on the way for nephew soccer games and to get a 120K check-up for our 2005 Toyota Highlander. (There’s not a Toyota dealer anywhere on the Outer Banks.) Well, the Highlander had a few “issues,” so the dealer gave us a rental car and told us on Friday to take the car (for free) to Philly because he wouldn’t be able to get necessary parts until Monday. On Monday, he said he wouldn’t have parts until Wednesday. “Keep the car,” he said. We drove from Philly to NC and then back to Richmond. I don’t think this dealer had any idea how many miles we’d put on the free rental car. We’re supposed to get our car back today; then it’s off to visit my parents in Clarksville, VA and then on to WordCamp Raleigh for the weekend. We’ll be home for three days before my BFF and her husband come to visit us at the beach for Memorial Day weekend. Days at home: 16. Days away: 15.

So, if I haven’t been blogging much in May, hopefully now you understand why.

Virtual Potluck

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